Published:
Modified:
by Wayne Smith
Website schema can be used by Google to help create or enhance a Knowledge Panel in search results.
A Knowledge Panel about a website is only generated when Google has confidence the search intent is related to the site, and when there is sufficient search interest.
A Unique Brand or Site Name
A unique brand name as opposed to an EMD site name can help to add confidence.
Brand Marketing: SEO-friendly Site/domain Name
A unique brand name also benefits by providing confidence site mentions are about the site and not other entities, [sufficent interest].
Site Entity and Organization Entity
The content type of "WebSite" is different than the content type of "Organization" ... Schema can be created as an array to match properties with the correct data types. A website can also have parts which can have keywords. Mentions about the site/brand with these additional keywords become unambiguously relevant.
The @type: Website schema is expected to be in the structured data for the root directory of a domain. However, there are no strict requirements for the placement of schema markup on a site, as schema data is merged when processed by search engines. For example, the hasPart property allows 'off-page schema' to be linked with on-page schema, helping to create a more comprehensive understanding of the website's structure.
In some cases, a site name shown for a home page may not have propagated to appear for other pages on that site. For example, example.com might be showing a site name that's different from example.com/internal-page.html.
We're actively working to address this. We will update this help page when this issue is resolved. In the meantime, if your home page is showing the site name you prefer, understand that it should also appear for your internal pages eventually.
... Using Schema to make site name unambiguous
Google and other search engines are generally very good at parsing pages on a site to determine the site name. But on occasion the site name may be ambiguous;
The preference is to use the site name instead of the domain name in search results.
... Website description is within the AboutPage Schema
The about-site description, found in "more information about the site" and the Knowledge Panel, is pulled from the description used on the AboutPage content type. It can also be pulled from the "Google My Business," profile.
... Navigational Site Links (Schema)
The consistent usage of site links in search shows Google considers them a high-value gain of knowledge for a brand or navigational intent -- they are worth Google spending resources for their creation.